In many enterprises today, there is an emphasis on keeping employees up-to-date on the latest developments in their field, and therefore employees are encouraged to attend many presentations on a regular basis. For instance, in technical companies, engineers need to stay updated on the latest technology developments within their company and within their technical field.
Traditionally, these presentations were live events that the employees had to attend in person, but today's employees have access to many different types of media. Presentations can be live streamed so that users can view them remotely in real time. Alternatively, presentations can be recorded so that users can view them at a later time using their smartphone or other computer.
During live presentations to a group of attendees, one issue that can arise is lack of engagement by members of the audience. Today nearly everyone has a smartphone, laptop or touchscreen tablet computer or other wireless communication device that they carry with them at all times. Some attendees have difficulty paying attention because they have trouble staying off their electronic devices while the presentation is taking place. This is not only distracting to the user of the electronic device, but to others around that user.
Another issue that arises is that many employees feel uncomfortable asking or answering questions during a presentation even though doing so would often benefit the entire audience.
It would be desirable to provide systems and methods that can help improve user engagement of attendees during a presentation.